Dave Engle
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1989)
Dave Engle was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1989 for 4 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 9 seasons. In 594 career games, he hit .262 with 431 hits, 31 home runs, and 181 RBI. Dave Engle was an All-Star.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 210 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1981-04-14
- Last Game
- 1989-07-28
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Ralph David Engle
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 594 | 1,643 | 201 | 431 | 88 | 13 | 31 | 181 | 5 | 120 | 190 | .262 | .311 | .388 | .700 | -366 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .388 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .700 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | MIN | AL | 82 | 248 | 29 | 64 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 13 | 37 | .258 | .255 (+1%) | .320 (-8%) | .368 (+10%) | .688 (+2%) | -15.4 |
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 58 | 186 | 20 | 42 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 22 | .226 | .261 (-14%) | .324 (-17%) | .388 (-10%) | .712 (-13%) | -414.3 |
| 1983 | MIN | AL | 120 | 374 | 46 | 114 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 43 | 2 | 28 | 39 | .305 | .260 (+17%) | .324 (+8%) | .389 (+15%) | .714 (+12%) | 786.9 |
| 1984 | MIN | AL | 109 | 391 | 56 | 104 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 26 | 22 | .266 | .259 (+2%) | .322 (-5%) | .384 (-8%) | .707 (-7%) | -442.1 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 70 | 172 | 28 | 44 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 2 | 21 | 28 | .256 | .257 (avg) | .323 (+3%) | .390 (+15%) | .714 (+9%) | 270.8 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | 35 | 86 | 6 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 13 | .256 | .257 (-1%) | .325 (-4%) | .395 (-15%) | .720 (-10%) | -134.2 |
| 1987 | MON | NL | 59 | 84 | 7 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 11 | .226 | .262 (-14%) | .331 (-16%) | .415 (-25%) | .746 (-21%) | -291.6 |
| 1988 | MON | NL | 34 | 37 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | .216 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | ML4 | AL | 27 | 65 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .215 | .254 (-15%) | .319 (-18%) | .375 (-6%) | .694 (-12%) | -126.4 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 594 | 1,643 | 201 | 431 | 88 | 13 | 31 | 181 | 5 | 120 | 190 | .262 | — | — | — | — | -366 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (594 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 307 | 832 | 106 | 225 | 17 | 110 | .270 |
| Away | 287 | 811 | 95 | 206 | 14 | 71 | .254 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-07-28 | MIL | TEX | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-07-27 | MIL | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-07-06 | MIL | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-07-02 | MIL | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-06-28 | MIL | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-06-23 | MIL | CHW | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989-06-16 | MIL | MIN | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-06-15 | MIL | TOR | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-06-10 | MIL | BAL | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-06-04 | MIL | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 43 | 36 | 309 | 25 | 4 | 31 |
| 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 197 | 161 | 777 | 66 | 18 | 7 |
| OF | 136 | 104 | 246 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | MIN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | MIN | OF | 76 | 64 | 144 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | MIN | OF | 34 | 23 | 63 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | MIN | C | 73 | 66 | 299 | 26 | 9 | 3 |
| 1983 | MIN | OF | 4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | MIN | C | 86 | 80 | 376 | 34 | 8 | 3 |
| 1985 | MIN | C | 17 | 12 | 58 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | MIN | OF | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | DET | 1B | 23 | 21 | 173 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| 1986 | DET | C | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | DET | OF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | MON | 1B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | MON | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | MON | C | 6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | MON | OF | 11 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | MON | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | MON | C | 9 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | MON | OF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | ML4 | 1B | 18 | 15 | 133 | 12 | 4 | 11 |
| 1989 | ML4 | C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 196 |
| First Base | 43 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Left Field | 16 |
| Right Field | 121 |
| Designated Hitter | 118 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | MON | NL | $150,000 |
| 1987 | MON | NL | $145,000 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | $215,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $510,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | CA | 1977, 1978 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 5th | 4.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dave Engle (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dave Engle: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 14, 1981 and the final game on July 28, 1989, Dave Engle built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Minnesota Twins (1981 to 1985), the Detroit Tigers (1986), the Montreal Expos (1987 to 1988), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1989). Engle is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 3 inches and 210 pounds. Engle batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 30, 1956, in San Diego, CA, USA. Dave Engle was the playing name; the full given name is Ralph David.
Engle finished with 431 hits from 1,643 at bats in 594 games, which works out to .262, adding 31 home runs and 181 RBI. The on-base percentage is .311 and the slugging percentage .388, for an OPS of .700. Engle hit .262 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1983 produced Engle's most hits, 114 of them for the Minnesota Twins. The Lg AVG column puts Engle's 1983 at .305 against .260, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 17%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Engle
- What years did Dave Engle play?
- Dave Engle played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1989.
- Was Dave Engle a pitcher?
- No. Dave Engle was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Dave Engle hit?
- Dave Engle hit 31 career home runs with 431 hits.
- What was Dave Engle's career batting average?
- Dave Engle batted .262 over his career, with 431 hits in 1,643 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dave Engle have?
- Dave Engle drove in 181 runs in his career.
- Is Dave Engle in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dave Engle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.